El Nido Digital

The fees of El Nido

Tour prices are only part of what a day on the water costs. These are the fees that land on top — who pays each one, when, and where the figure comes from. This page exists because most articles get at least one of them wrong.

FeeAmountAppliesWho paysSource
Eco-Tourism Development Fee (ETDF) ₱400 10 days, covers all island-hopping tours during that period Every visitor joining any tour El Nido Tours2026-08-26Discover El Nido2026-08-26
Big Lagoon entrance fee ₱200 Per visit Charged on top of the tour price and on top of the ETDF El Nido Tours2026-08-26
Small Lagoon entrance fee ₱200 Per visit Charged on top of the tour price and on top of the ETDF El Nido Tours2026-08-26
Kayak rental (to enter the lagoons) ₱150 Per rental Optional, but Big Lagoon restricts motorised entry so most visitors pay it El Nido Tours2026-08-26
Ferry terminal fee ₱20 Per departure El Nido and Coron ports both charge it Bustickets.ph (Montenegro Lines)2026-08-26
The unavoidable floor is ₱400 per person — the ETDF, paid once and valid 10 days. Everything else depends on which tours you take: the lagoon fees only land on Tour A days, kayak rental only if you enter the lagoons, the terminal fee only if you take the Coron ferry.

Worked example: what the fees add to a Tour A day

Shared Tour A is published at ₱1,200–1,500 per person. On top of that, on your first tour day: ETDF ₱400. At the lagoons: Big Lagoon entry ₱200, Small Lagoon entry ₱200, and roughly ₱150 for the kayak you need to enter. A "₱1,200 tour" is therefore a ₱2,150 day at the low end — which is why comparing operators on the headline price alone misleads. The full Tour A breakdown.

₱400 per person

Eco-Tourism Development Fee (ETDF)

Every visitor joining any tour.

 ₱200 per person, per entry

Big Lagoon entrance fee

Charged on top of the tour price and on top of the ETDF.

 ₱200 per person, per entry

Small Lagoon entrance fee

Charged on top of the tour price and on top of the ETDF.

 ₱150 approximate, per kayak

Kayak rental (to enter the lagoons)

Optional, but Big Lagoon restricts motorised entry so most visitors pay it.

 ₱20 per person, at each port

Ferry terminal fee

El Nido and Coron ports both charge it.

Collected 26 August 2026. How figures are sourced.